FRONTLINE PRINTERS PRIVATE LTD 3 Sabha honours best dance performers 6 What went wrong for Lanka? 7 Pak should rethink on using ultras as instrument 8 Ippadi panreengale ma... Complete Printing Facilities under One Roof M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032. 2250 0111, 4202 1111 Chennai’s No 1 English evening daily since 1982 www.newstodaynet.com NATIONAL DAILY VOL. XXXIII NO. 102 FOUNDER EDITOR: T.R.R H CHENNAI H THURSDAY 19.3.2015 (EVENING) H OTHER STATIONS FRIDAY 20.3.2015 (MORNING) H 8 PAGES Rs. 4.00 H Regd. No., TN/CC(S) DN/223/15-17, RNI No: 33810 / 82 T Alive, agile eam India managed to recover from a poor start losing three wickets for less than 120 in the World Cup quarter finals against Bangalesh today. Thanks to a splendid partnership by Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, Indians managed to put up a good score on the board. After winning the toss, skipper Dhoni had no hesitation in opting to bat. Dhawan, Kohli and Raina were dismissed cheaply. Meanwhile, a resurgent Pakistan would look to carry forward the momentum when they take on formidable hosts Australia in the third quarterfinal of the cricket World Cup tomorrow. On the back of four victories in a row, including one against the mighty South African side, Pakistan recovered from two defeats to make the knockout stage. Misbah-ul-haq has played a pivotal role in their resurrection with his superlative batting effort and the skipper now has the biggest challenge of the tournament before him as they run into host Australia, whom they have not beaten in their own den since their win at Perth in 2005. Meanwhile, faced with stiff opposition on the land bill, the government today reached out to leaders of opposition parties, including Sonia Gandhi, and activist Anna Hazare inviting them to an open debate on the issue while asserting that the bill was very much in farmers’ interest. ELEVENTH HOUR Around elevenish this morning, a bomb exploded at one of the floors of DLF IT Park at Ramavaram. Security personnel rushed to the spot and a fire-tender was pressed into service. Staff members were evacuated to a safe place at the ground floor. Only after all the drama, it was revealed that it was a drama indeed. To be precise, a mock drill to check the preparedness of people at the campus in case of emergency. Photos: K VIJAY ANAND Ro-hits India out of trouble Melbourne, Mar 19: Rohit Sharma roared back into form as he struck a magnificent century against Bangladesh in the second quarterfinal of the World Cup at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today. His classy 137-run knock was studded with 3 sixes and 14 fours and came off 126 balls and enabled India to set a daunting 303-run target for Bangladesh. Rohit Sharma reached his seventh century off 108 balls that came at the right time not only for himself but also when his team needed it the most. He was ably partnered by Suresh Raina who continued his rich form with the bat smashing a 57-ball 65 before edging a Mashrafe Mortaza delivery high up in the air for wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim to take the catch. He opened up after reaching his century and hit some classy elegant shots before getting dismissed in the 47th over by a yorker from Hammer & Tongs After a sedate start, Team India managed 176 runs losing just three wickets in the last 20 overs with Rohit and Raina going all guns blazing. Taskin Ahmed. Batting first after winning the toss, India got off to a good start with openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma notching up the team’s fifty in the tenth over in their 75-run stand. Indian lost their first wicket when Shikhar Dhawan was stumped by Mushfiqur Rahim off Shakib Al Hasan for 30 in the 17th over. Rubel Hossain then struck in the Man of the moment Rohit Sharm’s last few hundreds in ODI’s have been bigger and biggest. And they have all come on important occasions. His last few centuries come with an individual score 264, 150, 138 & 137. Rohit Sharma on his to a brilliant century next over when he had Virat Kohli caught behind by Mushfiqur Rahim to reduce India to 79/2. Sharma held one end up and completed his fifty off 70 balls before Ajinkya Rahane hit to mid-off for Shakib Al Hasan to take the catch off Taskin Ahmed to leave India at 115/3 in 28 overs. Rohit and Raina steadied the Indian innings with a 122-run stand for the fourth wicket. Their 100-run stand came off 80 balls as they combined caution well with aggression. Play was held up for a short while when India were 186/3 in 38.1 overs but that break did not affect the momentum as India reached 205/3 in 40 overs and from there went from strength to strength. Mighty Aussie or mercurial Pak? Adelaide, Mar 19 (PTI): A resurgent Pakistan would look to carry forward the momentum when they take on formidable hosts Australia in the third quarterfinal of the cricket World Cup, here tomorrow. On the back of four victories in a row, including one against the mighty South African side, Pakistan recovered from two defeats to make the knockout stage. They performance has been mercurial so far. Misbah-ul-haq has played a pivotal role in their resurrection with his superlative batting effort and the skipper now has the biggest challenge of the tournament before him as they run into host Australia, whom they have not beaten in their own den since their win at Perth in 2005. Odds are heavily stacked against the Skippers speak Begging bowl protest in front of Rajini’s house q Distributors’ dramatic plan to get back Lingaa ‘losses’ NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Film distributors across Tamilnadu will come together in Chennai on Sunday as Rajinikanth starrer Lingaa completes 100 days in few screens. But it is not for any celebrations. Yet, they have a reason to regroup. Frustrated by the no response to their repeated claims to get compensated for the alleged loss they suffered screening the movie, they have decided to lay siege to the actor’s house and hold a begging bowl protest, ironically on the 100th day of the movie. Speaking to News Today, a film distributor, said, ‘after several protests to get us compensated for the loss suffered, Rajinikanth and producer Rockline Venkatesh agreed to return a total sum of Rs 10 crore. This too The film distributors denied reports that Lingaa row has been resolved. They will gather in the city on Saturday and will hold a meeting Land Bill: Gadkari invites Sonia, Hazara for open debate 5 killed in mishap near Ramanathapuram New Delhi, Mar 19: Amid Opposition’s all-out effort to stall the amended Land Acquisition Bill, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari today wrote a letter to political leaders and social activists inviting them for an open debate on the legislation. Among those who have been sent letters include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who led the Opposition march to Rashtrapati Bhavan against Land Bill on Tuesday, and Anna Hazare, who has been leading a farmers’ agitation. ‘I have written a letter to Sonia Gandhi and Anna Hazare and have given them invitation for an open discussion,’ Gadkari told reporters. ‘Have requested leaders of political TENTH HOUR I think four straight wins gives you a lot of confidence as a playing unit, the mindset is good and the momentum is with us Misbah-ul-Haq We just need to keep playing the brand of cricket we have been for most of this tournament Michael Clarke Asian nation as they have lost their last seven away matches against Australia. However, Pakistan being an unpredictable side can upset the Australia applecart if their bowlers do the job. In the eight World Cup encounters, the two teams have won four matches each and in the last contest it was Pakistan which emerged triumphant in Colombo in the 2011 edition. It may be recalled that the distributors had resorted to a one-day token fast near Valluvar Kottam, a few weeks ago over the same issue. Various trade bodies including Tamil Film Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam have issued statements urging the distributors not to get into a public spat and damage the reputation of Rajinikanth. Elsewhere, the going seems to be tough for Rajinikanth as he is plagued by lots of legal hurdles including those against his previous film Kochadaiyaan, a Bollywood movie titled after him (Main Hoon Rajinikanth) among others. Lingaa, directed by K S Ravikumar featured Rajinikanth, Sonakshi Sinha and Anushka in the lead roles. Produced by Rockline Movies, it had music by A R Rahman. only after the intervention of Tamil Film Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam president Sarathkumar’. ‘Though we were not ready to settle for the amount promised by them, we accepted the same considering the difficult situation we are in now. But both Rajinikanth and Venkatesh are playing a hide and seek game now.’. Condemning both for delaying the 3 injured in attack by elephant, bear Erode, Mar 19 (PTI): Two women were seriously injured when an elephant attacked them at Thalawady forest range and another man attacked by a bear in the area, a forest department official said. The two women, aged 55 and 50, had entered the forest area yesteday to collect firewood when they were attacked by the pachyderm, which ran away after they raised an alarm, Padma, Forest Officer at Hasaanure in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve said in a press release. In the second incident, a coolie entered the forest yesterday to collect leaves for broomsticks when the bear pounced on him and bit him. hearing his cries for help, locals rushed to the spot, pelted stones and chased away the bear The two women and the coolie have been hospitalised. settlement, he said, ‘On one hand they promise a compensation and on the other side, they approach the court and obtain an injunction against all not to speak or write anything about the movie.’ The distributors numbering over 100 would gather in the city on Saturday and will hold a meeting presided over by the Exhibitors Association joint secretary Sridhar. It has been decided to hold the begging bowl protest in front of Rajinikanth’s house at Poes Garden here the next day. ‘We are left with no other option but to explain our pitiable condition this way’, he added. The distributors also denied reports that appeared in various sections of the media that Lingaa row between Rajinikanth, Rockline Venkatesh and distributors had been actually resolved. More than 10 lakh students are appearing for class 10 board exams, which started across Tamilnadu today. While students busy writing their first test at Muthiyalpet Higher Secondary School, a complaint box has been kept at Government Girls School at Villivakkam (inset). Photos: R THIYAGARAJAN & M SRINIVASAN parties and social activists to come on a platform, whether electronic or print media, and have an open discussion,’ the Minister added. Gadkari said his invitation for open debate also extends to NGOs. Gadkari’s letter came a day after Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Anna Hazare on the NDA government’s Land Bill and vowed to oppose it at all fora. Sonia’s letter to the social activist was in reply to his earlier missive and referred to the protest march to President House by the representatives of 14 parties on the issue. Leaders of 14 political parties led by Sonia Gandhi had taken out a march from Parliament to Rashtrapati Bhavan against amendments to the Land Acquisition Act. Ramanathapuram, Mar 19 (PTI): Five persons, including three college-going girls, were killed on the spot and seven others injured when a private bus collided with a mini van at Keezhakudi in this district today. Police said both vehicles collided and then overturned. Four of those killed were travelling in the bus. The other person was the van driver. The injured have been hospitalised. $ 7,800 recovered from passenger at city airport Chennai, Mar 19 (PTI): Customs officials today recovered USD 7,800 from a Singaporebound passenger at the airport here, police said. Zakir Hussain was found carrying the US Dollars, valuing Rs five lakh in Indian currency, by the CISF during a security check, police said. Security guard stoned to death near Porur NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: A man who allegedly killed another by hitting him with a boulder was arrested by the police this morning. The incident which occurred near Porur last night created tension in the area. According to sources, Karuppu (35) from Thiruvannamalai recently joined as a security guard at a private welding unit on the Poonamalee-Porur highway. It is reported that he was taken as a replacement for Munusamy (35) who was earlier sacked for his conduct. Police said, last night, Munusamy met Karuppu and took him to a nearby liquor shop, where they both drank heavily. Taking advantage of the situation, Munusamy took a boulder lying nearby and hit Karuppu on the head, killing him on the spot. This morning, employees of the shop who found him sitting beside the dead body, informed the Mangadu police. The body was sent to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital. Police who arrested Munusamy are now investigating if the two had a previous enmity or the murder was an act of revenge on Karuppu for having taken his place at the firm. 2 THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 City What's connecting Kodambakkam? Centre CHENNAI Mambalam canal gets hope Civic body to clean water body New sewage line to come up in the area I n a relief to residents, the civic and Metrowater officials have decided to initiate steps to provide proper sewer connections to households in Kodambakkam and other neighbouring areas. The neighbourhood is set to get new sewage In the first connections soon. phase, sewage connections will be provided to neighbourhoods The civic body has close to Mambalam, Virugamalso initiated efforts bakkam and Buckingham canals, apart from Cooum and Adyar. to block illegal However, the civic body is yet sewage lines to to trace the holds polluting the network of storm water drains that prevent them from carry sewage to the five watergetting into the ways. Work on this is expected to start soon. ‘We will plug illegal network essentially outlets on the waterways in the meant to drain second phase,’ said an official. ‘Kodambakkam zone is likely to rainwater get legalised sewer connections in two years,’ a source said, adding that the civic body has also initiated efforts to block illegal sewage lines to prevent them from getting into the network essentially meant to drain rainwater. ‘Apart from linking sewage lines to SWDs, some people are dumping sewage in empty plots, leading to mosquito and M dog menace AKKA B M A KOD in the area,’ says a resident of Kodambakkam. Because we don’t have a proper drainage system, the stench is unbearable,’ says, a resident from Rangarajapuram. ‘We are happy that the officials have decided to give proper sewage lines so that the canals can be saved from the dirty sewage that the illegal lines dump on them. - NT Bureau The ongoing cleaning project at Mambalam canal is expected to bring relief to residents. The water body has been a breeding ground for mosquitoes and has lowered hygiene and sanitation aspects in and around the neighbourhood OPEN INVITATION C Garbage at Arunachalam Street in Chetpet invites mosquito menace, besides leading to unbearable stench. Photo: R THIYAGARAJAN hennai Corporation has recently undertaken maintenance work at the Mambalam canal, near Vidyodaya Main Road. The water body has been a breeding ground for mosquitoes and has lowered hygiene and sanitation aspects in and around neighbouring areas. Speaking about the project, an official of Zone 9 says, ‘Work has commenced and presently we are carrying out the Storm Water Drain (SWD) works. During this process, IN THEATRES IN HOME SONY PIX RAJATHANDHIRAM 05:37 PM Welcome to the Jungle Kamala Theatre, Udhayam Theatre, PVR Cinemas, 08:00 PM Die Another Day AGS Cinemas, INOX National, Abirami Mega Mall, 10:52 PM The World Is Not Enough Woodlands Multiplex, Mayajaal Cinema, Sangam Multiplex, Sri Ganga Cinema, Raj Theatre, Maharani Theatre we are planning to remove encroachments dotted along the canal, to pave for smooth flow of water in the source. Once completed, residents will be living in a clean and neat environment’. Another persisting issue is the mixing of garbage with sewage water near GN Chetty Road, thus, hindering the flow of water in the canal. Visveswaran, a resident of GN Chetty Road, says, ‘Our street is neat and clean, except that a few places located near the canal remain polluted. HBO S U D O K U 06:04 PM Sex and the City 2 MOVIES NOW PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National, Hall, Rakki 07:15 PM City Lights Multiplex, Abirami Theatres, 09:00 PM Ice Age 10:40 PM Battleship IIVANUKKU THANILA GANDAM Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre, PVR Cinemas, Sangam, AGS, INOX National, Abirami Theatres, TV TODAY STAR MOVIES 07:07 PM Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 09:00 PM The Incredible Hulk 11:13 PM The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader 3 7 4 8 2 The object is to insert the numbers in the boxes to satisfy only one condition: each row, column and 3x3 box must contain the digits 1 through 9 exactly once: Easy nah? 3 2 8 05:30 PM Margazhi Maha Utsavam 10:02 PM Kaliyugam 06:30 PM Galatta Comedy 10:30 PM Sirippu Varudhu 07:00 PM Ramayanam 07:30 PM Nadhaswaram 11:00 PM Telebuy 07:30 PM News 08:00 PM Deiva Magal VIJAY TV 08:00 PM Hits 08:30 PM Vamsam 04:30 PM Cricket Extra : Post Show 09:00 PM En Iniya Thozhiye 08:30 PM Akka 09:00 PM Priyamanaval 06:00 PM En Kanavan En Thozhan 09:30 PM Gouravam 06:30 PM Thirai Vaanil 4 1 2 6 3 8 5 5 8 3 4 6 7 9 8 2 6 5 3 1 9 4 7 6 5 3 1 7 4 9 2 8 4 9 3 7 6 8 7 2 9 5 8 1 2 4 5 3 1 6 5 3 4 1 7 2 6 5 8 4 2 9 9 8 1 6 3 7 6 8 9 3 1 7 5 2 4 STAR SPORTS 1 07:00 PM Cricket Legends 07:30 PM Mann Vasanai 07:30 PM ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 H/ls : Quarter Final 2: Bangladesh vs. India 08:00 PM Karuthamma 08:30 PM Cricket Legends 08:30 PM Alaipayuthey 09:00 PM Match Point : Quarter Final 2: Bangladesh vs. India 07:00 PM Sindhu Bhairavi 09:00 PM Priyamana Thozhi 09:30 PM Vani Rani 06:30 PM Puthu Kavithai 10:00 PM Koppium-Crime Time 09:30 PM Poomagal 10:00 PM Sakthi 10:30 PM Manmatha Leelai 10:00 PM Kavidhaiyae Theriyuma 10:30 PM Azhagi 07:00 PM Kalyanam Mudhal Kaadhal Varai 10:30 PM English News 11:00 PM Ponmana Chelvan 07:30 PM Aandaal Azhagar 10:45 PM Tamil News KALAIGNAR TV 08:00 PM Deivam Thandha Veedu 11:00 PM Thenkinnam 04:00 PM Pudhu Paadal 08:30 PM Saravanan Meenatchi SUN TV 04:30 PM Sirippu Varudhu 09:00 PM Mahabharatham 08:30 PM Jesus Calls 03:00 PM Valli 05:00 PM Endrum Super 09:30 PM Super Singer T20 10:00 PM Thiraivimarsanam 03:30 PM Unnai Ninaithu 05:30 PM Kalai Koil 10:30 PM Office 10:30 PM Magane En Marumagane 06:00 PM Mundhanai Mudichu 06:00 PM Utchakattam 06:30 PM Pasamalar 06:30 PM Idhu Pudhusu 11:00 PM Kalyanam Mudhal Kaadhal Varai 07:00 PM News 07:00 PM News POLIMER TV 04:00 PM Mannan 08:00 PM Gunamakum Anbu 9 9 06:00 PM ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 H/ls : Quarter Final 2: Bangladesh vs. India 06:00 PM Raj News 5 2 05:00 PM S K Shoppe 10:00 PM News Headlines 1 7 04:30 PM Cricket Extra : Post Show 05:00 PM New Songs 9 1 11:30 PM Kumki 05:30 PM Vellithira 6 3 3 RAJ TV 09:30 PM Madippakkam Madhavan 3 3 ANSWER TO SUDOKU 3020 (18.3.2015) 04:30 PM Kollywood Gallery 8 9 5 1 1 08:00 PM Bhavani 09:00 PM Odi Vilayadu Pappa 3 5 7 07:30 PM Mohini 08:30 PM Romapuri Paandiyan JAYA TV 6 8 3021 11:07 PM The Hangover Part III Mayajaal, Escape Cinema, Devi Cineplex, Kamala Theatre, Apart from cleaning the canal, officials should also make sure that garbage is disposed judiciously.’ - NT Bureau 6 09:00 PM The Conjuring KATHAM KATHAM AR G T NA 06:00 PM WWE Main Event 07:00 PM UEFA Champions League 2014/15 H/ls 08:00 PM UEFA Champions League 2014/15 : Dortmund vs. Juventus 10:00 PM WWE Main Event 11:00 PM WTA Magazine Show 11:30 PM UEFA Europa League 2014/15 : Dynamo Kyiv vs. Everton TEN CRICKET 10:00 PM Cricket Live 10:30 PM Late Cut 11:00 PM Match Point : Quarter Final 2: Bangladesh vs. India TEN SPORTS 03:00 PM Cricket Classics : England vs. West Indies: December `97 04:00 PM West Indies Tour of South Africa 2014/15 H/ls : 1st Test 03:00 PM UEFA Champions League 2014/15 : Dortmund vs. Juventus 06:00 PM England Tour of Sri Lanka 2014 H/ls : 4th ODI 05:00 PM UEFA Champions League 2014/15 H/ls : Preview Show 07:00 PM Tri-Nation 2014 (Zim,SA,Aus) H/ls : 4th ODI: Zimbabwe vs. Australia 05:30 PM Volvo Ocean Race : Sanya to Auckland 08:00 PM West Indies Tour of South Around Town CHENNAI Trains to get extra coaches NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Southern Railway will permanently augment the following trains: Train No.1268212681 CoimbatoreChennai Central Coimbatore weekly express trains will be permanently augmented with one sleeper coach. Train No1268912690 Chennai Central-Nagercoil Chennai Central weekly express trains will get two second class sleeper coaches. Train No 1603116032 Chennai Central- Jammu Tawi Chennai Central Andaman tri-weekly express trains will get one sleeper coach. Train No 1609316094 Chennai Central-Lucknow Chennai Central bi-weekly express trains will get one extra sleeper coach. Train No 2265122652 Chennai Central-Palani Chennai Central express trains will get one second class sleeper coach. Exhibition on disaster mgt NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) will organise a one-day community capacity-building programme through ‘Mock Exercise and Disaster Management Exhibition’ at IIT-Madras on Friday. ‘The objective of this programme is to highlight the necessity of a coordinated approach to disaster management and also to raise the level awareness among public about disasters and disaster management mechanism inplace,’ said a release. FLY like a BIRD q People visit IIT-M to experience flight stimulator ANURADHA C Chennai, Mar 19: In Chennai, once there was a craze in this game called flight stimulator where one could imagine oneself to be the pilot and fly high in the sky. Now that has been made into reality where the last few days saw the city people visiting the IIT-Madras campus, to experience something that was out of this world. Birdly, the virtual reality flight simulator was launched in Chennai on 16 March in the IIT campus by Swissnex India after it was kept in Bengaluru from 10 to 13 March. It was kept here for two days where people booked their slots for the once in a lifetime experience. Birdly was conceived and designed in Switzerland recently. ‘The experience of flying on Birdly is quite different from the ones hitherto experienced by mankind. While a pilot can fly the plane, he cannot become the plane itself. Birdly changes that. You become the bird, soaring and diving at will’, says Salome, one of the officials. The user mounts on the installation, puts on a pair of virtual reality goggles (Occulus Rift) and gets the feeling of embodying a bird, in this case, THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 Narada Gana Sabha secy passes away How it works? The user mounts on the installation, puts on a pair of virtual reality goggles (Occulus Rift) and gets the feeling of embodying a bird - a red kite. The user, then, flies over a 3D model of a landscape complete with wind, smell and sound. India always strives to bring the best of Swiss innovation to showcase in India. To this end, we are very happy to bring Birdly, which is clearly poised to receive worldwide acclaim.’ A viewer, who came to experience Birdly, said, ‘It was a one in a million kind of experience. For the entire A visitor experiencing the virtual reality flight simulator at IIT-Madras recently. a red kite. The user, then, flies over a 3D model of a landscape complete with wind, smell and sound. Birdly was created by Professor Max Rheiner from IAD Interaction Design at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). It was developed in 2013 for the anniversary of the Birdlife Centre in Zurich on the theme of ‘fascination with flight’. As a media artist with an interest in out-of-body experiences, Rheiner was happy to design the installation. His design research is dedicated to embodiment design. Birdly comes with a team of experts who will travel to other places, where it will be opened to the general public to experience. Dr BalzStrasser, CEO of Swissnex India and Consul General of Switzerland in Bengaluru, said ‘Swissnex City boy on a high every level of competition, we were tested on the analytical ability. The main challenge was providing web solutions Nishant Jain in a stipulated time of three hours, without any internet connection. Also, product description was new to me as it was from business perspective while we learnt only net-application-based-education. But, the knowledge, I received from NIIT helped me in a big way. In nutshell, it is a tedious journey. How is your preparation for the finals? A. I am focusing on different domains, both web as well as offline solutions. It requires a lot of practice. Currently, I am concentrating on new technologies and working on to reduce stress level, which will enable me to perform well. On representing India? A: It is a special moment to represent the country. Though I have not participated in many competitions, I believe that this is a right platform to prove my abilities and expertise. I hope that I can realise my dreams and make our country proud. Eight districts picked for health programme NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Eight districts in the State have been selected for ‘Mission Indhradhanush - 201’, the Central government’s immunisation programme. Coimbatore, Kancheepuram, Madurai, Thiruvallur, Tiruchi, Tirunelveli, Vellore and Virudhunagar have been selected in the first phase of the programme to be rolled out between March and June, according to a Central government release. Under the programme, immunisation for seven life-threatening diseases (diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio, tuberculosis, measles and hepatitis B) will be included. In select districts/States, vaccination against Japanese encephalitis and Haemophilus influenza type B will be provided. For pregnant women, tetanus vaccine would be administered. As many as 201 districts in 28 States with the highest number of partially vaccinated and unvaccinated children under two years of age and pregnant women will be targeted. Advocates to boycott courts tomorrow NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: The Madras High Court Advocates’ Association on Wednesday said it would boycott courts on 20 March to protest against the recognition given by the Bar Council of Tamilnadu and Puducherry to the Tamilnadu Advocates’ Association (TNAA), led by S Prabakaran. A rally would be taken out around the Bar Council. Awardees of the 115th dance festival of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha with Naradha Gana Sabha president Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti, secretary M Krishnamurthy and co-ordinator P S Padmanabhan at the valedictory function held in Chennai recently. Sabha honours best dance performers NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: The best performers at the 115th year dance festival of Sri Parthasarathy Swami Sabha held at Naradha Gana Sabha were honoured at the valedictory function here recently. According to a press release, sabha president and industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti presented cash awards and certificates to the best performers in the presence of Urmila Satynanaraynan, Sheela Unnikrishnan and sabha secretary M Krishnamurthy. The 50-day dance festival held from 18 January to 3 March featured 114 dance programmes. Speaking on the occasion, Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti said, ‘Highlights of the festival included performances by students of gurus Urmila Sathyanarayanan, V P Dhananjayan, Sreekala Bharath, Sheela Unnikrishnan, Roja Kannan, Anitha Guha, Padma S Raghavan and several others.’ Best Performers (senior category) awards were given to Ashwini Viswanathan, Jayanthi Srivatsan, Jayalakshmi Narayanan, V R Priyabandhavi Hariprasad, Vidya Sankaranarayanan and Dr Rajashree Warrier. Best Performers: Taruni Sanjay, Anushri Eswaran, H L Thrishyaa , K S Sneha, Narayini Muthumaran, Rashmi Ravishankar, Subhashri Sashidharan, Kirtana Parthasarathy, Sanjena Ramesh, Varsha Jayalakshmi, Shreya Rajagopalan, Sairam, Priti Pandurangan, Abinaya Balachandran, Sruthi Tanikella, Sravya Tanikella, Sunitta Menghanaani, Chandana, P G Ashwathi, Tanya Saxena and Rashmica Chandrasekar. Best Special Performence Award: Pavithra Maduram. The dance programmes were coordinated by P S Padmanabhan. Birdly was created by Professor Max Rheiner from IAD Interaction Design at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). It was developed in 2013 for the anniversary of the Birdlife Centre in Zurich on the theme of ‘fascination with flight’ time the stimulation lasted, I had the feeling that I was not a human anymore, but a bird who can fly as high as I wanted to. It is different than playing just a virtual stimulation game. It was an unforgettable experience for me’. NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Narada Gana Sabha secretary and Federation of City Sabhas president R Krishnaswamy, died at a hospital at Mylapore R Krishnaswamy here on Wednesday. He was 79 and is survived by wife and two sons. A native of Harikesanallur in Tirunelveli district, Krishnaswamy, an advocate by training, was associated with Narada Gana Sabha since its inception in 1958. He was the secretary of the sabha for over 50 years. He was also one of the trustees of G A Trust that established the Pandurangan temple in Thennangur. A classmate of veteran actor Cho S Ramaswamy, Krishnaswamy was responsible for introducing plays at the sabha and also helped popularise namasankeerthans during the music seasons. Krishnaswamy will be cremated today. Course in hospital mgt NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: The Sankara Nethralaya Academy will offer a certificate course in hospital management to equip participants with managerial techniques. It will be conducted over 12 weekends on Saturdays from 2 to 5 pm at Sankara Nethralaya main campus, College Road. The session commences from 4 April and the last date for receiving filled in applications is 20 March. For details, contact: 97104 85295/98405 23560. ‘Learning is a continuous process’ q To represent India at World Skills Competition in Brazil SHWETA V Chennai, Mar 19: Nishant Jain, a student from NIIT (Chennai) who emerged as a winner under IT Software Solutions for Business (ITSSB) skill category, will represent the country at World Skills Competition (WSC) event. The final leg of WSC will be taking place in Sao Paulo, Brazil between 11and 16 August. He shares his experience and the preparation for the global competition with News Today. Excerpts from the interview: On the journey? A. WSC comprised of three rounds - preliminary, semifinal and final. At 3 q 463 students get degrees at Saveetha University Training in oil processing NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: MSME- Development Institute is organising a week long training programme on ‘Essential Oils Processing and Perfume Blending’ from 6 April at 65/1, GST Road, Guindy. The training programme will focus on distallation of corrainder leaf oil, euclypatus oil, palmrosa oil, geranium oil, rose mary oil, lemongrass oil and value addition of essential oils. Government of India recognised certificates would be given. Educated, un employed youths and budding entrepreneurs can participate. For details contact K Kandasamy at 93815 04133 or 99413 39788. NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: True learning transcends the frontiers of cities and countries wherever they may be situated in the world. For the really learned person, the process of learning is a continuous one wherever he/she goes, said Malaysian Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan. Addressing students at the eighth convocation of Saveetha University at Saveetha’s M M Conventional Centre at Velappanchavady here yesterday, he said education is a very important part of one’s life. ‘It shapes the fundamentals of how we react or respond, and more importantly, equips us with the right knowledge and skills that allow us to succeed in life’. At the convocation, as many as 463 students received their degrees. Four students received PhD and 157 students received postgraduate degrees. The university also conferred Doctor of Science (Honorius Causa) on R Venkataswami, head, Apollo’s National Institute for Re-constructive Surgery and N R Madhava Menon, IBA Chair on Continuing Legal Education, National Law School of India University. The convocation ceremony was presided over by the university president and Chancellor N M Veeraiyan. Vice-Chancellor Mythili Bhaskaran, University Academic of Education director Deepak Nallaswamy, advisor R Rajagopal, registrar D Prabhavathy, SMC director Saveetha Rajesh, directors Remya Deepak and Rajesh were present. Is acid an easy weapon to attack? q Many shops still sell them for domestic purposes NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Breaking the misconception that acid attacks are confined to women, an incident in the city wherein acid meant for domestic use was thrown on an elderly man and a youth have shocked many. A 48-year-old man and a youngster sustained injuries at R K Nagar when acid meant for use in toilets was thrown at the former by a woman in a fit of rage. It may be noted that a section incorporated by the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2013 provides for stringent punishment for perpetrators, and was meant to act as a deterrent to the horrifying attacks. However the increase in the number of such cases in recent years, seem otherwise. Pragya Singh, an acid victim said that the section which earlier provided for imprisonment for not less than 14 years, has now been slashed to 10 years. Although police officials said that the injuries are supercial as it was diluted toilet-use acid, doctors said that the aftermath of the attack is generally unpredictable. ‘The physical pain might not be intense but the mental agony the victim undergoes will make them slip into that phase of inferno,’ said a city- based psychiatrist Lakshmi Vaidyanathan. Yesterday’s incident also questions official negligence in regulating acid sale. ‘Almost 80 per cent of the shopkeepers in the city are unaware that such laws actually exists in the. country and it is the easy accessibility of acid that is accentuating the crime rates,’ mentioned Pragya. Moreover, not just in rural households, urban people too use acid to clean their washrooms, thus making the substance popular for domestic purposes. Social workers should play a prominent role in creating awareneness about the drastic affects of acid usage,’ Pragya added. Also, measures for proper treatment, aftercare and rehabilitation are ineffective, so to say. While the Act makes it mandatory to provide free medication and directs the State governments to compensate the victims at the The physical pain might not be intense but the mental agony the victim undergoes will make them slip into that phase of inferno,’ said a citybased psychiatrist Lakshmi Vaidyanathan earliest, its implementation is poor, it is said. ‘It is a great struggle to avail compensation. In many cases, victims were paid only Rs 50,000 and are neglected at government hospitals,’ Pragya concluded. Blend 4 THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 WHAT WH AT NEWS NEW NEW EWS S TODAY TODA TO DAY DA Y PRINTS PRIN PR INTS IN TS IS IS NEWS NEWS THAT TTHA HAT HA T COUNTS COUN CO UNTS UN TS Thought-provoking I n a landmark judgment virtually redrawing the criteria for declaring a community ‘backward’, the Supreme Court has scrapped the UPA government’s notification that declared Jats as OBCs. Holding that the identification of a group as ‘backward’ cannot be solely made on the basis of caste, a bench of Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice R.F. Nariman significantly said ‘new practices, methods and yardsticks have to be continuously evolved, moving away from caste-centric definition of backwardness’. The most distressed in the society need to be identified for extension of benefits and palliative care. The recognition of the third gender (transgenders/ eunuchs) as a socially and educationally backward class of citizens by the apex court in April last year was a path finder, the Bench said. In other words, the court is questioning the entire basis of reservation formula that is in vogue as of now. Just as well. For, reservations ---- much needed no doubt --- have become entitlements for certain entrenched classes due to nondynamic stasis. Whereas society, for whichthe reservations are aimed at, is in a constant state of flux. But our political class still doesn’t understand this. Playing vote-bank politics, they still harp on old dog-eared arguments that ill serve the society at large. Take Union Minister Birender Singh’s reaction post the Supreme Court ruling: ‘On the basis of social demarcation, if Yadavs and Gujjars can get reservation, why not Jats?’ This is what, the court feels, needs a change. While calling for thinking beyond caste for identifying socially and educationally backward classes, it wants an overhaul of the reservation policies, which allow advanced sections to benefit merely because others better placed are already in the list. Quota in jobs may be a constitutional goal to undo the historical injustice to backward castes, but the court has asked for redefining affirmative action. Asserting that caste is a significant factor but not the sole reason for OBC status, it has suggested a periodic revision of the list. The apex court has questioned a policy that keeps in mind only historical injustice and ignores 21st century realities and how some communities have advanced. In other words, a backward community cannot remain backward forever. The message to the State: Social groups which would be most deserving must necessarily be a matter of continuous evolution. Even the ruling NDA had backed the quota for Jats, who plan to launch an agitation and file a review petition. A petition challenging their inclusion in the special backward class in Haryana is already pending before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. For long, it’s been felt that if anyone needs special treatment, it is the economically weak. The SC has laid down new norms that could mark a change, even an end of quota for the rich among the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes. Derek O’Brien @quizderek Katrina Kaif @KatrinaKaif ISIS involved in Tunisia assault? Hunt on for suspects in museum attack TUNIS: The overnight attack on Tunisia’s national museum, which killed at least 17 people, most of them foreign tourists including an Australian, has prompted a chorus of international outrage. Tunisia’s prime minister said two gunmen opened fire on tourists as they got off a bus outside the museum, then chased them inside. The Australian Government has confirmed that a dual AustralianColombian citizen is among those killed. The brazen daylight assault has raised new security fears in Tunisia - the birthplace of the Arab Spring. The attackers also held several tourists hostage as pictures posted on Twitter showed images from inside the museum, showing people squatting on the floor. All hostages were however freed as Tunisia Special Forces took cover, killing two gunmen in the security operation that went on for two hours. Though it is yet to be ascertained that who was behind the attack, a top EU official has blamed the Islamic Its funny how you can do nice things for people all the time and they never notice. But once you make one mistake, its never forgotten. Vitamin D can treat age-related diseases WASHINGTON: University Chicago Marcella Niehoff Vitamin D may play a vital role in the School of Nursing (MNSON). prevention and treatment of chronic Older adults are at risk for vitamin D diseases associated with ageing such deficiency due to diet, reduced time as diabetes and cancer, according to outdoors and poor skin absorption of new research. the nutrient, researchers said. With Researchers reviewed the number of people ages 65 and evidence that suggests an older expected to more than double association between vitamin from 2012 to 2060, the problem will D deficiency and chronic become much more prevalent, diseases associated with HEALTH researchers said. ‘Better ageing such as cognitive understanding the reladecline, depression, osteoporosis, tionship between vitamin D cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and can- and chronic diseases in older adults and whether treatment of vitamin D cer. ‘Vitamin D deficiency is a com- deficiency can prevent or treat these mon, serious medical condition that disorders is important given the insignificantly affects the health and creasing number of people at risk for well-being of older adults,’ said Sue these health issues,’ said Meghan Penckofer, study author, from Loyola Meehan, study author. Good show Sir, Ace Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth deserves applause for winning the Swiss Open Grand Prix Gold Badminton Championship in Basel, Switzerland. As the first Indian to win this title, he has set a new benchmark of success for Badminton players. World No 4 Srikanth won the $120,000 Swiss Open after defeating defending champion Viktor Alexson of Denmark, ranked sixth in the world, 21-15 12-21 21-14 in a thrilling 47-minute summit clash last Sunday. Preethi, Chennai ADDRESS YOUR LETTERS TO : The Editor, News Today, 85, Mount Road, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032. or e-mail to : [email protected] / [email protected] State for the Bardo Museum attack. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini said that it was the ISIS that ‘had become particularly active in neighbouring Libya, was behind the atrocity’, the Mirror reported. ‘The EU is determined to mobilise all the tools it has to fully support C Tunisia in the fight against terrorism,’ she added. The EU official’s suspicion does not seem far-fetched as the ISIS had, just a couple of days ago, released a video spouting advice to Boko Haram fighters and urging Tunisian jihadists to follow suit, reported the SITE Intel Group. Islamic State (IS)-linked accounts on social media have begun expressing joy following the 17 March attack on Bardo Museum in Tunisia’s capital, wherein two armed men reportedly killed at least 19 people and took several hostages. The attack comes after various releases in recent months by IS and its supporters aimed at recruiting Tunisians and inciting attacks. ‘If this attack was carried out by the Islamic State, it didn’t come from out of nowhere,’ said SITE Director Rita Katz. ‘Islamic State officials, supporters, and fighters have been urging for an attack in Tunisia in the group’s name for a while now.’ And on the day of attack on the museum, another IS-linked account tweeted, ‘Allah permitting, there will be earthshaking surprises in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya during these days. We are coming O Rome,’ the SITE Intel Group translated. Also, the ISIS Twitter accounts that have welcome with joy the news of Tunisia terror attack, have renewed their calls for similar attacks , tweeted SITE Intel Group Director Rita Katz. L ICK PIC A train moves on its tracks through the snow covered field along with Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after heavy snowfall at Qazigund in Anantnag district. In the other photograph, Kashmiri villagers walk on a road engulfed in fog in Tangmarg, about 38 kilometers (24 miles) northwest of Srinagar, India. DUBAI: A top UAE-based diary producer has claimed to be the first company in the world to introduce ice creams and milk powder from camel milk to the mass market. The products introduced by Al Ain Dairy are now officially available in select retail outlets throughout the UAE under the ‘Camelait’ brand. ‘This is a monumental achievement not only in the history of Al Ain Dairy, but the UAE as a whole,’ said Al Ain Dairy CEO, Abdullah Saif Al Darmaki. Handling the complex proteins of camel milk in the pasteurisation proc- Today VOICE MAIL ISIS Twitter accounts have welcome with joy the news of Tunisia terror attack. They have renewed their calls for similar attacks BRAVING THE ELEMENTS Ice cream from camel milk introduced What odds would u have got that 2 countries playing in World Cup QF would have national anthems written by the same person ? CHENNAI ess to produce ice cream was a major challenge that was overcome during the innovation process, the company said in a statement. The ice cream is available in six flavors - date, saffron, cardamom, chocolate, carmel and lite raspberry vanilla. Another product from the company is camel milk powder, which is made by evaporating 100 per cent natural fresh camel milk to dryness. ‘As the demand for naturally nutritious products continually rises in European and North American markets, we feel the presence for our Camelait products is necessary now more than ever,’ Al-Darmaki said. ‘And with new studies showing promising medical benefits of camel milk, it is our mission to ensure these locally produced products are available to consumers around the world,’ he added. Camelait products were introduced in the UAE with the inception of the Al Ain Dairy camel farm in 2004 and have been a staple on supermarket shelves since. Michelle Obama in Japan to promote girls’ education TOKYO: US first lady Michelle Obama and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe announced plans today to deepen cooperation in helping girls in developing nations fi nish their educations. Michelle, who in her online travel journal described her trip as a “part of a journey that began decades ago, back when I was a little girl,” is visiting Japan and Cambodia, who are among Asia’s richest and poorest nations. As a major aid donor, Japan plans to cooperate with the communitybased ‘Let Girls Learn’ initiative recently announced by President Barack Obama and his wife. It announced plans to devote 42 billion yen (USD 340 million) over three years to supporting girls’ empowerment and gender sensitive education. Japan and the US also agreed to focus more development assistance on supporting girls’ education. The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers will also cooperate with the US first lady Michelle Obama, and her Japanese counterpart Akie Abe pose at Iikura Guest House in Tokyo. Peace Corps, which is implementing the Let Girls Learn program. The program, led by the Peace Corps and other aid organizations, NEWS MAKER of the day is meant to help get the at least 62 million girls who are unable to attend school back into classes. It is being rolled out in 11 countries, initially, including Albania, Benin, Burkina ‘It’s germ games instead of war games’ VANCOUVER: we should get going.’ A room off Bill Gates has opened a mock Eb- a hallway was transformed into an ola field hospital at the prestigious Ebola station where TED attendTED Conference as part of a call ees got a taste of meticulous and tedious precautions health care to be battle-ready for a deadly workers must use to prevent global epidemic. infection. The Microsoft software Playing the part of an mogul and philanthropist Ebola-fi ghting doctor incalled for ‘germ games volved wriggling into overnot war games’ to train resized rubber boots and sponse forces and reveal yellow bodysuits. Rubber holes in defenses. Bill Gates gloves were layered over ‘The Ebola epidemic was a wake-up call to get ready,’ Gates hands, sealing tightly at sleeve said during an on-stage presenta- cuffs. Heads and faces were covered with hoods, goggles and tion at TED in Vancouver. ‘There is no need to panic - we breathing masks. Under it all went a new cooling vest don’t need to horde cans and spaghetti in the basement - but developed by the Gates Foundation. Faso, Cambodia, Georgia, Ghana, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Togo and Uganda. Hundreds of new, grassroots projects meant to facilitate girls’ education are planned. The first lady, trained as a lawyer, and Abe, daughter of a confectionary magnate, have made furthering the cause of children and women among their priorities. Abe is soft spoken but has openly disagreed with her husband, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on some issues, while actively backing his efforts to promote greater gender equality in government and business. Michelle and Abe met with Japanese university students. The US first lady will also pay a call on Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko and meet with the prime minister. Tomorrow she will visit the ancient capital, Kyoto, before traveling to Cambodia. The ‘Let Girls Learn’ program is global, but White House officials say it also reflects a US commitment to be more involved in the Asia-Pacific region. ‘Milky way houses billions of planets’ LONDON: Our Milky Way galaxy may be home to billions of planets orbiting their host stars in a habitable zone, where there could be liquid water and possibility of life, a new study has found. Using NASA’s Kepler satellite, astronomers have found about 1,000 planets around stars in the Milky Way and they have also identified about 3,000 other potential planets. By analysing these planetary systems, researchers from the Australian National University and the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen have calculated the probability for the number of stars in the Milky Way that might have planets in the habitable zone. Enterprise CHENNAI ‘Country staring at skill catastrophe’ NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: India needs two lakh apprentices annually for the next 10 years in order to avoid any employability ‘catastrophe’ in the country, according to staffing company TeamLease Services. ‘With 10 lakh youth entering the workforce every year for the next 20 years and more than 50 per cent of them lacking employability skills, India is soon going to be facing not a demographic dividend but a catastrophe’, TeamLease Services co-founder Rituparna Chakraborty said here on Wednesday. The only solution to address this job emergency is to create a robust apprenticeship culture, she said. India needs two lakh apprentices for the next 10 years to ease the growing employability crisis, Chakraborty added. Even as policymakers all over the world have recognised ‘learning by doing’ and ‘learning while earning’ as a very important vehicle for tackling the skill crisis, the country’s apprenticeship regime has not gained the desired momentum, she maintained. ‘We have only three lakh apprentices while Germany has three million, Japan 10 million and China 20 million. From an employer perspective also the participation rate in India is negligible’. In an effort to revitalise the apprenticeship ecosystem and increase the number of apprentices from the current three lakh to two crore, TeamLease Skill University in association with CII, AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education), National Skill Development Corporation has formulated NETAP (National Employability Through Apprenticeship Program). Established to increase corporate participation, NETAP allows companies to appoint apprentices in any trade or function at any location in India. Further, while corporates have to pay a stipend equivalent to the applicable unskilled minimum wage, the spend qualifies as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) contribution. From an apprentice perspective, NETAP offers opportunities across 22 high growth industries for apprenticeships across the country for durations between three and 24 months, the staffing company said. Govt allocates Rs 200 crore for agro-industry New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): The government on Wednesday launched a Rs 200 crore scheme to set up a network of technology and incubation centres to accelerate entrepreneurship and promote start-ups for innovation and entrepreneurship in agro-industry. ‘The Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Agro-Industry will open vistas of incubation landscape to the micro segment of the vast rural economy’, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Kalraj Mishra said at the launch. ‘The scheme is designed to provide necessary skill set for setting up business enterprises and also to facilitate the market linkages available to entrepreneurs and to provide hand holding for a critical period to ensure self sustainability’, he said. The scheme envisages creation of a framework for start-up promotion Cisco to start new unit Minister for Communications and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha. At present, the over $47 billion US-based firm has its largest research and development (R&D) facility outside the US in India. But, it does not have any manufacturing facility in the country. When contacted, a Cisco spokesperson said: ‘Cisco believes that the government and industry should work together to remove roadblocks and provide enablers so that India can become a leader in manufacturing’. DuPont goes desi New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): Science-based products and services firm DuPont on Wednesday announced opening of an innovation application centre in India to cater to the food industry in the country. DuPont Nutrition & Health, a part of the company, opened the centre in Gurgaon to serve food industry in India, DuPont said in a statement. DuPont Nutrition & Health president Matthias Heinzel said that while the science of food is global, the taste and flavors of food are local. ‘As we develop those local solutions, we need to be able to work closely with our local customers on foods they are developing for their consumers’, he added. The centre, which has capabilities to expand, will initially employ 15 to 20 people by 2015-end. ‘Among the focus areas of the Innovation Application Center will be protective cultures for dahi and yogurt, soy protein products, ice-cream and more nutritious, Indian snacks and biscuits tailored to meet the regional taste and texture expectations’, DuPont Nutrition & Health, regional leader, South Asia, Brian Jones said. LG eyes big sales New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): LG Electronics is targeting a turnover of Rs 23,500 crore this year in India as part of a strategy to make the country among the South Korean major’s top three markets in three years time. The company’s Indian arm LG Electronics India will also invest a minimum Rs 500 crore this year in research and development. ‘India is amongst the top five global markets for LG globally but we expect changes in the rankings in the next three years. I want to bring India’s ranking as the third largest market for LG’, LG Electronics India managing director Soon Kwon said. At present, top five markets are the US, Korea, Brazil, Russia and India. Commenting on the company’s sales target in India, he said: ‘This year we targeting a minimum of 25 per cent increase in turnover at Rs 23,500 crore’. Vasanth & Co CMD H Vasanthakumar with Samsung’s global president and CEO H C Hong and other officials at the retailer’s T Nagar branch in Chennai recently. House at the click of a mouse NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Akshaya, in association with 99acres.com, launched iHomes in the city yesterday. Addressing the media here, Akshaya’s vice president (sales and marketing) K Srikanth said, ‘Since 1995, our key focus is in bringing innovation and new concepts in the real estate segment. We are focusing on online marketing which is the first of its kinds. We have created this platform for interactive home buying options where people can see the house and buy and thus, we are taking our group to the next level.’ Through this technology, users will be able to select a housing unit and buy it online. Akshaya’s chairman and CEO T Chitty Babu said, ‘Our volumes are growing to 2500 units in each project. Customers are not willing to spend 3-4 hours a day to make a visit and get all the details of the project. More time is needed as it is a huge investment. Thus, we are tapping technol- 5 Sowing seeds for a fruitful tomorrow MAKING IT HAPPEN IN INDIA New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): Networking solutions giant Cisco is planning to set up a manufacturing facility in India and evaluating various sops offered by the government to promote the Electronic System Design & Manufacturing sector, Parliament was informed on Wednesday. Besides, the government has so far received proposals from seven companies from the US and Japan or their subsidiaries for investment in the country under the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS), THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 ogy to enable customers to have all options in their hand’. 99 acres.com has set up a call centre for Akshaya to manage the activities. Info Edge (India) Ltd MD and CEO Hitesh Oberoi said, ‘Interaction, research and real experience will be provided to the consumers. Soon, there will be a link available. They can click to get all the details and make the payment. It is an exclusive tie up with Akshaya and the agreement is signed for a year.’ IKEA earmarks 25 million euros New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): IKEA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Swedish furniture retail major IKEA, is allocating 25 million euros this year for India to enhance activities on preventing child labour and women empowerment through its partners. The foundation that had set a target of helping 100 million children globally by this year has already reached 178 million with over 100 million in India alone since starting its activities 15 years ago in Uttar Pradesh. The Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Agro-Industry will open vistas of incubation landscape to the micro segment of the vast rural economy’, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Minister Kalraj Mishra said through Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) by using innovative means of finance like equity, quasi-equity, angel fund, venture capital fund, impact funds and challenge funds. In order to ensure that credit is available for start-ups, the MSME Ministry has created a fund of funds of Rs 60 crore to be channelised through SIDBI. ‘A fund of funds has been created under SIDBI and Rs 60 crore has been earmarked for the purpose’, Joint Secretary in the MSME Ministry Anil Kumar said. ‘Success of the scheme will lie in how we are able to converge the advantages and knowledge of various stakeholders. The idea is to provide a platform on which multiple stakeholders can work together and address the employment needs of rural areas,’ MSME Secretary Madhav Lal said. The partner institutions would be provided Rs three lakh per innovative idea selected for nurturing. For successful commercialisation and mentoring, a grant of Rs one lakh per year for three years subject to a maximum of Rs three lakh would be given. The scheme also entails Rs 62.50 crore fund for setting up of incubation centres by National Small Industries Corporation or Khadi and Village Industries Commission or Coir Board or any other institution/ agency of the State or Central government. Besides, Rs 61.50 crore has been earmarked for setting up of technology incubation centres. A sum of Rs two crore has been allocated for creation, updation and maintenance of database of technology centres network while Rs 17.75 crore will be spent on capacity building, including awards, surveys, studies, exposure visits and engagement of consultants. Living life, the Mahindra way NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: ‘The Mahindra World City (MWC) Club will mark the completion of the third L, out of the three, which include Life, Living and Livelihood’, said Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd’s executive director , Pawan Goenka, during his speech at the inauguration of the club at Chengalpet yesterday. The Mahindra World City, which was started in 2002 as a partnership between Mahindra Group and TIDCO, launched its MWC Club, and is said to be the first of its kind at the GST Corridor to offer such a lifestyle option. Pawan Goenka further said, ‘It has taken a lot of effort, planning and budget, for MWC to be what it is today’. The club is constructed in an outlay of four acres, with 60,000 sq feet of constructed space. ‘Mahindra World City (MWC) Club will be the latest addition to this smart city, and it would be an significant addition’, said Mahendra World City Developers Ltd’s chief operational officer S Chandru. He said that the club has been built on a concept, inspired from the national bird, peacock. ‘The club will offer facilities for sports like Tennis, Badminton, Billiards, Squash, etc, and also other facilities like gymnasium, swimming pool, saloon, spa, reading longue, restaurant, party lawns, kids play area, and so on, at a nominal price tag’, he added. Mahindra World City Developers Ltd chairman N Vaughul, said, ‘This city was primarily seen as an industrial sector, but has been slowly evolving into a self-contained smart city’. South Asia wing’s head and CMD of BASF India Raman Ramachandran said that the concept of a sustainable urban city was attractive and something needed in India. The CEO of Intergrated Cities and Industrial Clusters, Mahindra Lifespace Developers Ltd, Sangeetha Prasad, and Mahindra Lifespace Developers’ managing director and CEO Anitha Arjundas, were also present at the inauguration. Economy to grow 7.7% this year: OECD London, Mar 19 (PTI): India is poised to grow 7.7 per cent this year and eight per cent in 2016 to become the ‘fastest growing major economy’, according to think-tank OECD. In its interim economic assessment report released on Wednesday , OECD said said that over the next two years India is set to grow faster than China, where growth is slowing towards the official target of around seven per cent. However, the grouping cautioned that maintaining rapid growth would be a challenge for India despite the strong current momentum. The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) bullish outlook for India comes close on the heels of IMF chief Christine Lagarde describing the country as a ‘bright spot’ on cloudy global horizon. NAME CHANGE NAME CHANGE I, P.SAKKARAPANI, S o n of Thiru Palayam, born on 10th March 1951 (native district: Kancheepuram), residing at No.8/16, K.K. Street, Moulivakkam, Porur, Sriperumbudur, Kancheepuram-600 116, shall henceforth be known as P CHAKKARABANI. P.SAKKARAPANI Kancheepuram, 23rd December 2014. I, KANAGASABAI THIAHARAJAN, S/o. Thiaharajan, Date of Birth 16.11.1970 residing at Old.5/9, New.No.9/9, Pinjalla Subramanian Street, Akshaya Flats, T. Nagar, Chennai-600017. shall henceforth be known as KANAKSABAI THIAHARAJAN. KANAGASABAI THIAHARAJAN NAME CHANGE I, LISSY PRIYADARSAN, residing at 4Frames Sound Company, No.6, Veerabhadran Street, Valluvarkottam, Nungambakkam, Chennai - 600 034, shall henceforth be known as LISSY LAKSHMI. LISSY PRIYADARSAN "-$ 6 75 & " $8 . 9 : & ; ' ' " 5 3 " 5299&- (,(< & 3 0 ,1132= 4&5 PASSPORT LOST This is to inform to the general public that I have lost my Passport. Bearing No. Issued by RPO/Cochin I lost the same at Anna Salai, VOC Nagar, Pammal, Chennai-600 075 finders is /are requested to hand over the same to me at the below mentioned Address: K.M.ABBAS, S/o. K.Muhamed Moideen, No.94, 12th Street, Sankar Nagar, Pammal, Chennai -75. K.M.ABBAS Cel:9444492514 Read Every evening ArcelorMittal’s German plans NRI billionaire Lakshmi Mittal-led ArcelorMittal on Wednesday said it will invest 88 million euros on its four plants in Germany by December-end to enhance their competitiveness. ‘Germany is a good location for the production of high value added products. With our investments, we aim to further increase the competitiveness of our sites’, ArcelorMittal Germany Holding CEO Frank Schulz said in a company release. The company said around 10 million euros will be invested in the remodeling of two strands at the steel mill in Bremen while another Euro 6.5 million will be spent in Duisburg. It also proposed to invest around Euro 34 million in the Eisenhüttenstadt site among others. New Citi head for subcontinent American bank Citi on Wednesday said it has appointed Niraj Parekh as the head of finance for its operations in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Parekh, the India Subcontinent cluster financial officer, replaces Abhijit Sen, who has retired from service, Citi said in a statement. He will be reporting to its country head for India, Pramit Jhaveri, and also Mark Hart, the regional chief financial officer for Asia-Pacific. Parekh will be overseeing business planning and strategy, financial planning and policies, balance sheet management, financial controls and reporting and tax matters, it said. IndusInd Bank Ltd. New No. 34, G.N. Chetty Road, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017. POSSESSION NOTICE (Under Rule 8(1) of Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002) Whereas, The undersigned being the authorized officer of M/s. IndusInd Bank Ltd., having office at New No. 34, G.N. Chetty Road, T. Nagar, Chennai – 600 017, under the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 (hereinafter the said Act) and in exercise of powers conferred under Section 13 (12) read with Rule 9 of the Security Interest (Enforcement) Rules, 2002 (hereinafter the said Rules) issued Demand Notice dated 31.10.2014 calling upon the borrower Mr. B. Devendra Babu son of Mr. Bucchi Babu and co-borrower Mrs. N.C.Lalitha, wife of Mr.Devendra Babu, both residing at F-1A, Vasanth Apartments, No. 41, Giriappa Road, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600017 to repay the amount mentioned in the notice being Rs. 13,56,404/- (Rupees Thirteen Lakhs Fifty Six Thousand Four Hundred and Four Only), within 60 days from the date of receipt of the said notice. The borrower and the co-borrower having failed to repay the amount, notice is hereby given to the borrower and the co-borrower and the public in general that the undersigned has taken possession of the property described herein below in exercise of powers conferred on him under Section 13(4) of the said Act read with Rule 9 of the said Rules on this 18th day of March, of the year, 2015. The borrower in particular and public in general is hereby cautioned not to deal with the property and any dealings with the property will be subject to the prior charge of M/s. IndusInd Bank Ltd., for an amount Rs. 14,49,010/- (Rupees Fourteen Lakhs Forty Nine Thousand and Ten Only) (as on 02.03.2015) along with interest and other applicable charges thereon. DESCRIPTION OF THE IMMOVABLE PROPERTY (Secured Asset) All that piece and parcel of 3.960% of undivided shares of land with constructed area measuring 835 sq.ft. in the total extent of land measuring an extent of 4 grounds and 1177 sq. ft. at flat no. F1 A, Vasanth Appartments No. 41, Giriappa Road, T. Nagar, Chennai – 600017 comprised in the R.S. No. 7010/1, Block no. 112, Mambalam Village situated within the subregistration district of T. Nagar and registration district of Madras South and bounded on :North by : Door No. 42, Giriappa road belonging to Mrs. Sukkubai, South by : House of R.M. Venkatachalam and house of Chandra, East by : Giriappa Road, West by : House of Late K. Ramanathan For IndusInd Bank Ltd., Date : 18.03.2015 M.Raja Place : Chennai (Authorized Officer) 6 THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 Sports CHENNAI What went wrong for Lanka? We are two steps away from glory, says AB Sydney, Mar 19 (AFP): South Africa captain AB de Villiers threw the tag chokers back in the face of the team’s critics following their World Cup quarter-final rout of Sri Lanka. The Proteas were in dominant form, triumphing by nine wickets at the Sydney Cricket Ground as they finally won a World Cup knockout match at the sixth time of asking. I think we liked being called chokers, so we’ll just keep that tag and move along as long as we keep winning,’ said de Villiers. ‘We didn’t come all this way just to make it to the semi-finals, added the skipper, not required to bat after making a stunning 162 not out against the West Indies on his last SCG appearance during the pool stage. South Africa’s victory over Sri Lanka was all but assured after they dismissed the 1996 champions and runners-up at the last two World Cups for just 133. De Villiers lost the toss but, following good work by the Proteas’ pacemen, leg-spinner Imran Tahir took four for 26 and off-spinner JP Duminy’s haul of three for 29 included a hat-trick. South Africa now face a semi-final in Auckland on 24 March against the winners of this Saturday’s match between New Zealand and the West Indies. Reflecting on the display in the field, de Villiers said: ‘I wouldn’t say it’s the best, but definitely the most City Sports Hindustan varsity emerges winner NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Hindustan University men and MOP Vaishnav Women’s team emerged winners in Dr K C G Verghese Memorial 24th Statelevel inter-collegiate basketball tourney organised by School of Physical Education and Sports, Hindustan University. International basketballer S Prasana Venkatesh was the chief guest for the valedictory function and gave away the prizes. ‘Don’t show weakness’ ‘It means a lot to us,’ said de Villiers of South Africa’s victory. ‘On the other side, it means absolutely nothing. You’re going to have to start over again. We are committed to the fact that we’re not going to show any weakness.’ important performance in the most important game to date. ‘The way Dale (Steyn) and Kyle (Abbott) started off and then Morne (Morkel) who followed with a lot of heat, and then obviously the two spinners. We just worked really well Misbah-ul-Haq CC), M Shahrukh Khan (Grand Slam CC), U Sushil (Globe Trotters SC), Rahil S Shah (Vijay CC), R Aushik Srinivas (Grand Slam CC), Malolan Rangarajan (Vijay CC), K H Gopinath (Jolly Rovers CC), A Aswin Crist (Vijay CC), W Antony Dhas (Globe Trotters SC), Sunil Sam (Globe Trotters SC) and Aniruda Srikanth (Globe Trotters SC). by selector, captain London, Mar 19 (AP): The prospects of an England recall for Kevin Pietersen look bleak after the maverick batsman was told he still doesn’t figure in the national team’s plans and comments in his explosive autobiography may have caused irreparable damage. Pietersen, England’s all-time leading run-scorer in all formats, was ditched after last year’s Ashes tour to Australia because of his perceived negative influence in the dressing room. Doping violation: Odesnik banned London, Mar 19 (AP): American tennis player Wayne Odesnik was banned Wednesday for 15 years after a second Wayne Odesnik doping violation. The International Tennis Federation said Karachi, Mar 19: Pakistan cricket captain Misbahul-Haq says his team wouldn’t mind facing India in the semifinals if it progresses beyond the quarterfinals of the ongoing ICC World Cup. In an exclusive interview to PTI from Adelaide, Misbah said it will be another opportunity for his side to try and break the jinx of not winning a match against the arch-rival i n World Cup. It will be another chance for us to go there with a positive frame of mind. We would take it like another opportunity KP’s hopes dashed NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: All-rounder Rajagopal Sathish of Jolly Rovers CC will lead the Tamilnadu team in the Syed Musthaq Ali Twenty20 Tournament to be played at Kochi from 25 to 29 March. The rest of the team is as follows: K. Bharath Shankar (Jolly Rovers CC), B Aparajith (Vijay CC), B Indrajith (Vijay CC), Vijay Shankar (Vijay guys who kept backing him. ‘I think they must have been tempted a few times to let him go and maybe for me to take the gloves, but it was a great call from them to stick with him. He had a fantastic game and took a couple of crucial catches. ‘The way he batted with confidence was amazing. At that age, to go through a patch like he has been going through, to come out there in a quarter-finals of the World Cup with confidence shows what kind of a player he is.’ Ready for a battle with India again, says Misbah Director, Hindustan University Ashok Verghese presided over the function, Vice Chancellor Dr S Ramachandren and Registrar, Hindustan University Dr Pon Ramalingam were also present for the function. FINALS Women: Hindustan University, Chennai lost to M O P Vaishnav, Chennai by 59 - 34. Men: Hindustan University, Chennai beat Sathyabhama University, Chennai by 76 - 58. Sathish to lead as a bowling unit. It’s never easy to play Sri Lanka, especially in World Cup games. They’re a tough team to beat, so I’m very chuffed with what we’ve achieved’ A lot of credit goes to the selectors, to the coach (Russell Domingo), the the 29-year-old Odesnik tested positive for several banned substances, including steroids, during tests in December and January. The ban was back-dated to Jan. 30 and will run until 29 January, 2030. Odesnik was first sanctioned in 2010 for the possession of human growth hormone. Odesnik was off the tour form April 2010 to August 2011 after pleading guilty in Australia to importing HGH. He denied using the drug, and repeatedly said he never tested positive. The ITF originally banned him for two years, but cut the penalty in half, saying he cooperated with investigators. At last year’s U.S. Open, Odesnik earned a wildcard but lost to eventual finalist Kei Nishikori in the first round. It was the first time he played in the tournament’s main draw since 2009, shortly before his first ban. This year, he lost in qualifying ahead of the Australian Open. for us to break the shackles as we have never won against India in the World Cup, Misbah said. India beat Pakistan i n their opening match of the ongoing megaevent at Adelaide. We just have to go in with a positive frame of mind and self-belief and do our best, Misbah said. The 40-year-old, who has been captain of Pakistan since late 2010 after the infamous spot-fixing scandal in England, made it clear he was confident his team could beat Australia in the quarterfinals on Friday. Even though we have lost Muhammad Irfan, which is a big blow to us, we can do it. If we can beat South Africa which is one of the finest sides than we can do it against Australia, he said. Misbah said regardless of Australia’s form it is all about perform- Irfan can’t wait to turn out for CSK NT Bureau Chennai, Mar 19: Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan, who is Chennai Super Kings’ latest recruit, is raring to go. The left-handed all-rounder said he was happy to be picked by the IPL powerhouse and looked forward to wearing the team colours. Participating in a promotional event organised by Aircel, one of the sponsors of CSK, Irfan Pathan said, ‘I am excited to be part of the team and look forward to the fans’ support.’ Expressing happiness to get a chance to play under M S Dhoni’s leadership (at CSK), the Baroda southpaw said, ‘playing under his captaincy will be comfortable. I have a good comfort level with him and others like (Suresh) Raina and Ravindra Jadeja.’ About his role in the side in the absence of South African all-rounder Albie Morkel, Irfan said there are already some all-rounders in the side and ‘I need to see where I fit in after having a chat with the captain and the team management.’ Stating that he was coming off a pretty good Ranji season, the former Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers player said that ‘the ball is coming out pretty well from my hand. I am feeling fit too and hope to do well in the IPL to push my case.’ Irfan said he was glad to see the Indian team do well in the ongoing World Cup and praised the bowling unit for putting a fine show. Asked if fatigue would be a factor for the cricketers during the forthcoming IPL, he said that modern day players were getting used to that and recovered a lot faster now. ‘I don’t think it Irfan Pathan will be an issue.’ Aircel’s head - SBU-1 (Chennai & Tamilnadu) and Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited director B Kalyanasundaram were also present and they launched Aircel’s ‘1+3’ offer for the upcoming IPL season. ing on the day. On the Indian team, Misbah said it had performed upto the expectations. They are the defending champions and they know that and it is the biggest motivation for them. They have been playing in Australia for the last three months and preparing for this World Cup and that has helped them, he said. Obviously when you are the defending champions you have got all the confidence in yourself and they are now quite an experienced team playing the last couple of years with the same squad and their captain Dhoni is also a very experienced campaigner. ‘They have performed upto expectations so far in this World Cup.’ Misbah made it clear that his team had regained self belief after four wins on the trot. ‘I can tell you this team wants to win it for our people’. Joy in Juve thanks to Tevez double Paris, Mar 19 (AFP): A first-half goal by Ivan Rakitic was enough to see Barcelona end English interest in the Champions League as they beat Manchester City 1-0 in their last 16 second leg clash for a 3-1 aggregate win and a place in the quarterfinals. Former Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez scored a double in the night’s other game as Juventus pulled off an impressive 3-0 win away at 2013 finalists Borussia Dortmund to win 5-1 on aggregate. For Tevez it represents quite a turnaround in fortunes in the competition, having gone six seasons without a Champions League goal,he has now scored six this term. Tevez, who despite showing excellent club form was never selected by former Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella including last year’s World Cup finals, was modest about his contribution. ‘The team played really well, I just do my job and the team deserved the win,’ said Tevez. ‘We showed our experience and I think we’re on the right path,’ added the 31-year-old. Rakitic struck with a delightful effort after being found by Lionel Messi, chesting it down and then lofting the ball over the outstanding Joe Hart. ‘I think we put in a great effort out there,’ said Rakitic, after scoring his first goal in the competition. ‘Perhaps we should have scored more but the public saw a great performance.’ Mixed Bag CHENNAI THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 7 Tears, anger, distress... q Tricky Maths paper breaks down students NT Bureau After many requests from students and parents, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has finally agreed to set an expert committee for Class XII Mathematics paper, which was held yesterday. This comes days after a tough physics paper that had left parents anxious about the effect it would have on their wards’ admissions to professional courses. What happened? What was in? What to expect? The Maths paper was extremely difficult and ‘a torture for students’, leaving many in tears and parents fuming. Teachers termed the question paper one of the toughest in recent times. Many students left the examination room in tears saying that the difficulty level had gone up considerably when compared to the previous years. Students confided that no amount of preparation was sufficient to answer a paper as difficult as this. Many also agreed that the exam was much more difficult than the Physics paper too. CBSE assured that the question paper was made from CBSE and NCERT books only. Questions are not out of syllabus. There were total 29 questions in 3 sections, namely A, B and C. Section A: 10 questions: 1 mark each Section B: 12 questions: 4 marks each Section C: 7 questions: 6 marks each Reports suggest that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention will be sought in the issue. The expert committee will test all tough questions in detail with reference to model papers prepared by CBSE. If difficulty level of the paper is higher than model papers, the Board will consider holding ‘improvement exams’ for these students based on the recommendations of the committee. In a communication sent to schools, the CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said the subject experts will soon meet and review the question papers to find out whether the questions given were from outside the syllabus and in deviation of the ‘blueprint’ followed by the Board with regard to difficulty-level of questions. Mumbai schools to teach ‘Bhagwad Gita’ Mumbai, Mar 19 (PTI): All municipal schools in the city and suburbs would teach ‘Bhagwad Gita’ to students in order to make them more focused, boost their morale and impart them knowledge about spiritualism, a civic official has said. ‘We shall impart the knowledge of ‘Bhagwad Gita’ to students to make them independent and sharpen their power in decision making,’ Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai’s (MCGM) Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ramdas Bhausaheb said. He was speaking at a prize distribution function of ‘Gita Champions League’ contest, organised by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) here on 15 March. Ramdas said MCGM has 1,200 schools with a total strength of 4,78,000 students where the corporation spends over Rs 3,500 crore every year to impart free education to children in nine regional languages, a press release here said. ‘Our children are our future. We need to protect them, nourish and develop their minds. However, television, movies and the Internet together expose the children to violence, pornography and insanity, as a result of which they can easily get influenced Don’t use terrorism as instrument: Rajnath to Pak q’If neighbour stops aiding ultras, S Asia situation will improve’ and succumb to negative thoughts and actions,’ said Radhanath Swami, the spiritual guru of ISKCON’s Radha Gopinath Temple at Girgaum Chowpatty here. The teachings of ‘Bhagwad Gita’ can influence young minds and give a positive and morale-boosting exposure, help students remain focused and assist in taking ethical decisions, he said. The Gita Champions League written contest was held in January this year by ISKCON. Nearly 4,617 students belonging to various religions from 105 schools all over Mumbai participated in the contest and answered questions related to the sacred scripture. Jaipur, Mar 19 (PTI): Launching a scathing attack on Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said if the neighbouring country stops supporting terrorists, the security situation in South Asia will improve significantly. Rajnath also said the failure of dreaded terror outfit ISIS to attract Indian Muslims was due to their complete integration into the mainstream. ‘Indian Muslims are patriots and are not swayed by fundamentalist ideologies. Extremism is alien to their nature,’ he said. The Home Minister said the source of most terrorist activities in India lies across the borders and it is unfortunate that even after paying such a heavy price for itself, Pakistan and its associates find it difficult to understand that there are no ‘good terrorists and bad terrorists’. ‘Differentiating terrorists into good and bad categories has failed miserably. If the ISI and the Pakistan Army stops their support to certain terror A mini truck went up in flames due to short circuit in the engine on GST Road near airport this morning. Police rushed to the spot and cleared the vehicle within three minutes, to ensure free flow of traffic during peak hour. IAS officer’s death: Protests turn violent New Delhi, Mar 19: Violent protests took place across Karnataka today over the question of a CBI probe into the death of IAS officer DK Ravi. In Bangalore, the protesters of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad -- the student wing of the BJP -- were lathicharged by the police. In Tumkur too, the mob clashed with the police. The opposition BJP and JDS, which are holding an indefinite protest at the assembly, said they will take their demand to Governor Vajubhai Vala. The protesting lawmakers have spent two consecutive nights at the Assembly. Sources told that the Union home minister, Rajnath Singh, has spoken to Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah and advised that the state opt for a CBI inquiry. Despite the rising public anger, Siddaramaiah has said no to the demand for a CBI probe from various quarters. While an online petition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been signed by 13.5 lakh people, including the state’s IAS officers, the lawmakers of opposition BJP and the JDS are on an indefinite dharna at the state assembly. Yesterday, Union Law Minister Sadananda Gowda, who was also a former chief minister of Karnataka, met the Home Minister about the issue, and called for a CBI probe. The case is currently with the state Criminal Investigation Department, which, Siddaramaiah said, was ‘perfectly capable’ of handling it. Karnataka’s Kolar, where Mr Ravi took on the sand mafia, had seen widespread protests after his death, which the police said, was a prima facie case of suicide. The 36-yearold officer was found hanging at his flat in Bengaluru on Monday. ‘There are attempts from some quarters to assassinate the character of the IAS officer,’ news agency Press Trust of India quoted M Madana Gopal, Additional Chief Secretary (Environment, Forest and Ecology) as saying. ‘We won’t allow attempts to kill Ravi for second time.’ Ravi’s father-in-law Hanumantharayappa, at whose home the officer had spent the weekend, alleged that he had told him he was ‘being targeted’ by a particular group. Three killed, four hurt in shooting at California Stockton, Mar 19 (AP): An apparent drive-by shooting at a Stockton convenience store left three people dead and four wounded in what a police official called one of the worst mass shootings in the city’s recent history. Officer Joe Silva also said the shooting in the inland port city was in a crimeridden area known for drug deals and is likely gang-related. Violence has rocked Stockton, which was hit hard by the economic downturn and declared bankruptcy in 2012. Officials with the San Joaquin County on Wednesday said 20-year-old Aliyah Taylor and 27-year-old Arniska Lofton died in the drive-by shooting. The male victim was identified as 23-year-old Kabin Kennebrew. All were from Stockton. Four men in their 20s and 30s were found inside the small market and taken to hospitals. The victims ages 24, 25, 32 and 38 are expected to survive, Silva said. No arrests have been made, and it is not yet known if there were multiple shooters. Police are interviewing witnesses, some of whom said they heard up to 40 gunshots. Dozens of people gathered in the area after the shooting, and additional officers were called in to help control the crowd. ‘Terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad patronised by those across the border, have inflicted several acts of terror on the Indian soil’ attack without even leaving home. Referring to the Middle-East terror group ISIS, the Home Minister said the influence of the Islamic State on the Indian youths is negligible. According to our intelligence agencies, just a handful of Indian youths has joined the ISIS and some have returned after being persuaded by their families. Rajnath said India as a country is proud of all its diversity and has the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. ‘India is home to all 73 firqas of Muslims and it houses one of the oldest church known to mankind in the world. We have been practising philosophy of peaceful coexistence for centuries,’ he said. The Home Minister said that many terrorists are adept at using the latest technology to propagate their beliefs and deeds. They extensively use modern technology to reach out to wider audience with susceptible minds. outfits, I have no hesitation in saying that the security situation in South Asia will improve significantly,’ he said after inaugurating an international conference on counter terrorism here. The Home Minister said that Pakistan should seriously rethink its strategy of using terrorism as an instrument of proxy war and that it would be in its own national interests. ‘India has been a victim of crossborder terrorism for the last several decades. Terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad patronised by those across the border, have inflicted several acts of terror on the Indian soil. There are several instances of such proxies being used in other parts of the world,’ he said. Rajanth said the menace of terrorism is greatly amplified in today’s digital world and an incident in one corner of the globe can instantly spark a reaction thousands of miles away where a ‘lone wolf’ or a ‘DIY (do it yourself) terrorist’ can go online and learn how to carry out an Eight YSR Cong MLAs suspended HC rejects plea to cancel AAP’s registration Hyderabad, Mar 19 (PTI): Eight members of the Opposition YSR Congress were today suspended from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly for three days for ‘unruly behaviour’ in the House. Speaker K Sivaprasad Rao announced the action after Legislative Affairs Minister Y Ramakrishnudu moved a resolution to this effect. The suspended MLAs (as also other members of the party) continued to be in the Well of the House despite appeals to vacate the House by the Speaker, who then summoned Marshals. The MLAs, who raised slogans against the Speaker, refused to relent and were bodily lifted and taken out. Taking exception to the suspension decision, Leader of Opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said if one verified the last five minutes of his speech, it would be clear that he was speaking on issues of public interest. Even as Reddy accused the Chair of not being ‘impartial’, the Speaker said the conduct of the YSR Congress members was nothing short of ‘anarchy’. New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): Delhi High Court today dismissed a plea seeking directions to the Election Commission of India (ECI) for cancellation of the Aam Aadmi Party’s registration for allegedly using forged documents. ‘(The) petition is dismissed,’ a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice R S Endlaw said. The judgement came on the plea of Hans Raj Jain, who had sought the cancellation alleging that the ‘registration of AAP was allowed (by the ECI) in a hurried manner on the basis of false and fabricated documents without making any proper enquiries’. Jain had claimed there were discrepancies in residential addresses given by some AAP members in their affidavits when compared to the addresses given in their voter identity cards or income tax returns. The ECI, on the other hand, had contended that there was ‘no lapse or any undue haste’ in granting rec- Parties seek loan waiver for farmers New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI): Political parties cutting across party lines today demanded immediate financial assistance and relief including loan waiver for farmers in North and Western India whose crops have been hit by unseasonal rain and hailstorm. Opposition Congress, BSP, JD-U and CPI(M) demanded that the Centre should immediately announce financial assistance, assess the extent of damage to crops and wave interest on loans of distressed farmers. With several members in Rajya Sabha giving notice under rule 267 for suspension of business to take up loss of crop due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said it has been decided to take up discussion and the government replying to it. Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said standing crops in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat and Maharashtra have been destroyed in the unseasonal rains and hailstorm. He demanded fair assessment of the crop loss and corruption-free and fair distribution of compensation. Besides, a financial package for farmers needs to be announced at the earliest, he said. K C Tyagi (JD-U) said though crops worth Rs 22,000 crore has been lost in the natural fury, the insurance companies were assessing crop loss at no more than Rs 1,000 crore. During the previous UPA regime, there was a Group of Ministers for quickly assessing the loss and announcing relief but under the present dispensation all such panels have been dissolved, he said, demanding formation of a Ministerial grouping, preferably under Finance Minister, for quick assessment of loss. Stating that all of the standing crop in some states have been destroyed, he said the government should announce a moratorium on loan repayments by farmers. ognition to the party. ‘Registration to AAP was granted after completing all requisite formalities and requirements. There was no lapse or any undue haste on the part of the Commission’s office in this regard, as alleged or at all,’ the ECI had said in an affidavit. The poll panel had urged the high court to dismiss the plea saying ‘there is no contravention of any provision of the law.’ Jain, in his plea, had also alleged that provisions of the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act has been violated by AAP as its registration application contained the ‘chakra’ logo as depicted in the national flag. He had also sought initiation of disciplinary action against EC officials for allegedly failing to verify documents submitted by AAP members. After hearing arguments of both sides the court had reserved judgement on 18 February. ‘Ranaghat nun fit for discharge’ Ranaghat, Mar 19 (PTI): The elderly nun who was allegedly gangraped by dacoits in Nadia district on Saturday was declared fit for discharge from Ranghat subdivisional hospital but the convent authorities are yet to take a final decision. The hospital superintendent A K Mondol said ‘the hospital authorities are in a position to release her, but the convent authorities have not communicated to us their final decision.’ The medical board constituted to examine the Sister Superior has examined her and the nun is taking her food and medicines, the superintendent said. President of Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) Baselios Cardinal Cleemis had met the septuagenarian nun and prayed with her at the hospital yesterday. Immediately after arriving at Gangnapur, the Cardinal went to the convent to meet the other nuns to give them moral support and visited the nun at the hospital. ‘Justice should be made visible and such act should not continue,’ he had said. 8THURSDAY 19 MARCH 2015 , CHENNAI Licensed to post without prepayment under WPP. No. TN / PMG / (CCR) / WPP-470 / 15-17 Twitterati bid adieu to Sanga, Mahela S ri Lankan greats Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene bid farewell to limited overs cricket on Wednesday, disappointed with a World Cup quarterfinal defeat but happy that Sri Lanka were in a better place than when he came into the side in 2000. The elegant lefthander scored 45 runs against South Africa to take his tournament tally to 541, Sachin Tendulkar @sachin_rt Well done on glorious ODI careers @KumarSanga2 & @MahelaJay Being an integral part of the ODI side for so many years. including his record four successive centuries, but it never looked like being enough as Sri Lanka were blown away at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He has played just about all of Sri Lanka’s ODIs in this millennium, making his debut in 2000 and finishing up with 404 caps and 14,234 runs - second only to Sachin Tendulkar - at an average of 42 per innings. Shoaib Akhtar @ ShoaibAkhtarPk That’s it. SA are through to SF. Sad end of mahela & sanga’s ODI career. Finally SA wins a knockout game. Long jinx comes to an end. VVS Laxman @VVSLaxman281 Congrats @MahelaJay & @ KumarSanga2 on an excellent career.You have been gr8 role models & inspiration 2 a lot of youngsters.Good luck:) The way he finished made many wonder why he was retiring. He became the first batsman to score centuries in four consecutive ODIs at the World Cup, to boot - to finish his career with 25 hundreds and 93 half centuries. On top of that, he took 402 catches and 99 stumpings. Sangakkara will continue playing Test cricket Anil Kumble @anilkumble1074 Congrats to @MahelaJay and @KumarSanga2 for a wonderful one day careers. SL will find it difficult to fill the gap...too big a shoes. Jacques Kallis @jacqueskallis75 Congrats to these 2 legends of the game. Was always a pleasure playing against and watching you. Enjoy retirement. Glenn McGrath @glennmcgrath11 Sad to see the legends @KumarSanga2 & @ MahelaJay finish their one day careers New Zealand downplays SA win Grame Smith @GraemeSmith49 Congrats to @MahelaJay and @KumarSanga2 on incredible careers and what brilliant memories they gave us all. WELLINGTON: New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott said they had paid little notice to South Africa’s overwhelming victory against Sri Lanka as they prepared for their own World Cup quarter-final against the West Indies. The winner of the New Zealand-West Indies clash in Wellington on Saturday will play South Africa in the semi-finals Boman Irani @bomanirani To Sri Lankan fans: Just make sure #KumarSangakkara does not retire! He has so much more to give! A cricketer and a gentleman! in Auckland next Tuesday. The Proteas were in imperious form as they crushed Sri Lanka by nine wickets in the first quarter-final on Wednesday, but South Africa-born Elliott insisted he hardly noticed. I didn’t watch too much. I saw it was quite a convincing win from them, he said of South Africa’s dominant display at the Sydney Cricket Tomorrow’s match in the short-term, unlike his long-time teammate Mahela Jayawardene, who retired after the loss on Wednesday. Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka to the 2007 final, and Sangakkara led the side to the 2011 final. They batted together for a while on Wednesday, but couldn’t revive a big partnership of substance. Ground. ‘We’ll concentrate on this game (against the West Indies) and if we do get to the semi-final then we’ll have a look at their team and scout them accordingly.’ Elliott, born in Johannesburg, said his South African heritage would have no bearing on how he would feel if New Zealand played the Proteas in the semi-finals. — PTI QUARTERFINAL III Australia vs Pakistan at Adelaide Oval 9 a.m (IST) Lara backs WI to beat Kiwis T he West Indies received heavyweight support on Thursday ahead of their World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand with former greats Brian Lara and Andy Roberts both tipping an upset. Home side New Zealand, unbeaten through pool play, are heavily favoured to win Saturday’s knock-out match in Wellington and go on to play South Africa in the semi-finals. But Lara said he was patriotic and optimistic the West Indies have the armoury and the personnel to win. Obviously, the West Indies are going into that match as underdogs but I believe there’s a chink in the armour of the New Zealanders, he told a news channel, noting New Zealand fell apart in the play-offs last time they co-hosted a World Cup in 1992. But Lara wants a shake up in the West Indies line up with Johnson Charles, who scored 55 when called up as a late replacement for the United Arab Emirates game, to replace Dwayne Smith as Chris Gayle’s opening partner. — PTI Ippadi panreengale ma... q Popular lines turn titles in K-town M IVANUKKU THANNILA KANDAM Vivek’s famous line from the film Ullam Kollai Poguthae brought the roof down with laughter with Sivakami computer Josiyar sonnar Ivanukku Thannila Kandam nu! Perhaps director S N Sakthivel borrowed the line Ivanukku Thannila Kandam for his movie. It was a laugh-riot with TV anchor Deepak and Naan Kadavul Rajendran in the lead. TRISHA ILLAINA NAYANTHARA uch recently, movies are titled after popular comical lines in Tamil cinema. Funny dialogues delivered by comedians in films have turned titles. Interestingly, humour is the latest fad in Kollywood and no wonder why filmmakers opt to go this way. Let’s check at a few... — M BHARAT KUMAR The movie stars music composer G V Prakash as hero. The title is a take off from a famous line by Vadivelu in the movie Thalainagaram, that drew instant applause from the audience. ENGALUKKU VERU KILAIGAL KIDAIYATHU Another popular comedy dialogue by Vivek has become the title for this movie. In the film Ice, Vivek will play an actor and appearing for an AIDS awareness campaign would say Eppadi Irundha Naan Eppadi Ayitten. Engalukku Veru KiIaigal Kidaiyathu !! Directed by Bharathy Mohan, Engalukku Veru Kilaigal Kidaiyathu stars Vikram Shiva and Rakshan in the lead roles. Sara plays the heroine. Nizhalgal Ravi, Singam Puli, Imman Annachi and Manobala form part of the cast. The movie has music by Taj Noor. THEEYA VELAI SEYYANUM KUMARU NANBENDA The movie stars Udhayanidhi Stalin, Santhanam and Nayanthara and is directed by Jagadessh. The title is inspired by a comical one-liner by Santhanam in the movie Boss Engira Baskaran It is uttered by him to glorify the camaraderie that he shares with the hero of the movie Arya. It has become a catchy dialogue and is oft-repeated in campuses across the State. NEE ROMBA NALLAVAN DA The movie which was released recently featured Mirchi Senthil in the lead. Robo Shankar played a key role in it. The movie’s title was inspired by the dialogue by Vadivelu in Sundar C’s directorial venture Giri. The dialogue is slightly modified for the title. Theeya Velai Seyyanum Kumaru meaning ‘Kumar, work like fire’, first appeared in the movie Pudhupettai. However, Sundar C used the dialogue to title his movie. He added his comical touch to it and the movie featuring Siddharth and Hansika became a blockbuster. INNUMA NAMMALA NAMBURANGA This movie stars Sudhagar and Thiruveni as its lead and is directed by S R Balaji. The movie is a hilarious entertainer and the title is inspired by Vadivelu’s famous dialogue in the movie Winner that featured Prashanth, Kiran and Vadivelu. The movie was rich in comedy and almost all the dialogues in the film were huge hits. Published by K. Balakumar on behalf of News Today Media (P) Ltd., from 85, Mount Road (GST Road), Guindy, Chennai 600 032 and printed by him at Frontline Printers Private Ltd., M-7, Thiru-Vi-Ka Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai 600 032. Ph: 4202 1111. Editor: K. Balakumar. Phone: Editorial / Admn / Advt / Circulation 2250 4000, Fax: 2250 0303 (Editorial) / 2250 0101 / 2250 1200 (Advt/Admn/Cir). E-mail: [email protected]. Website: www.newstodaynet.com
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